MP stings former LoP Latigo for encouraging gambling

Aug 31, 2016 |

By Watchdog reporter
Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze has rebuked former Leader of Opposition Ogenga Latigo for publicly promoting gambling.
With a country suffering with a burden of unemployed youth waking up to betting and other forms of gambling every morning, Prof Latigo, an eminent citizen of Uganda, was paraded by gambling company Billion Lotto as a winner of sh6 million.
The promotion move, followed by Latigo making an appearance on television to endorse the activity, is a dose of confidence builder for the Billion Lottery business. And it gives faith in the activity by admirers of Prof Latigo, one of the leading leaders of Uganda.
Prof Latigo who confessed to buying more than five tickets, was on Wednesday morning promoting the same activity on television, describing it was a “good venture”.
However, the endorsement for gambling by a senior legislator didn’t go down well with some members of parliament.
When contacted for comment, Mukono Municipality, said, “I think that what he is doing is contrary to the Parliamentary code of conduct….I am going to read it again and see.”
She added that although gambling was legal in Uganda, it was proper that citizens of high standing keep away from it for moral reasons.
“For those who say that gambling is a legal activity, I say that not all legal things are morally right, for example, it’s legal for a woman of my age to marry a boy of 18 years but suppose I do it society would place me in the moral dock.”
Nambooze had earlier posted on her popular Facebook page that such gambling exercises can only be engaged in for charity purposes not for winning.
She posted: When I was young my Mum used to caution us against gambling…that its deadly and for that I don’t buy a Lottery ticket unless when it’s to support charity and my intention is to support the fundraising campaign and not to win in a game of chance. Now, since yesterday I have been seeing my honourable brother former leader of opposition Prof. Ogenga Latigo being paraded by Indians as having won 6M in billion lotto….even this morning he is on NBS campaigning for the lotto….WAS MY LATE MOTHER WRONG….is gambling good after all or my honourable brother is being used by capitalists to promote something very dangerous to our community especially the youth?!